Loudside.com recently sat down with Trivium guitarist Corey Beaulieu on the second to the last stop of the Family Values tour in Mountain View, CA to discuss how the band stands out amongst the rest of the line up, what their plans are for the rest of this year, as well as their plans for their next album, and how they feel about a certain band and a 'Metal Upgrade'. Here's what Corey (and bassist Paolo) had to say about all that......

Loudside.com: So how you doing man?

Corey: Doing good, just woke up.

Loudside.com: Ok. I know this is the second to the last show of the tour, so being that you guys have had some time to perform in front of the Family Values crowd, how has the overall crowd response been throughout the tour?

Corey: It's been great. Alot of our fans have been coming out to the shows and rocking out with us, so it's been really cool. It's been really good playing for a crowd that probably never heard of us before. And you can definitely tell with some crowds, the majority of the people don't know who we are, cause at first they're just kinda watchin', and by the end of the set they're getting into it and stuff, and I can tell we've won some people over. So I think it's been a pretty cool tour for us to play in front of new people. It would have been nicer to play a little bit later, but so far the shows have been really good. Some of the shows have been really really awesome. But it's definitely been a fun tour, and hopefully we made some new fans out of it.

Loudside.com: Cool. Now having already done stints on Ozzfest and Sounds of the Underground, how would you compare those tours to Family Values?

Corey: Umm, it's a bit different, because on the other ones, Sounds and Ozzfest, we played the parking lot stage. And actually Sounds was specifically a parking lot stage, so it was all open and it had the normal kind of show vibe, where there's big pits and stuff, and a whole lot of people crammed together. And on this tour we did the Amphitheater stage, where there's seats and stuff, so that was a little bit odd. And the time of day we go on, there's alot of people up on the lawn, and the seats are kind of sporadic and all spread out, and it's basically not as packed. So definitely a different thing to do, so it's gonna be nice after this, going to play regular shows where there's no seats everywhere. So that was like the big thing that was kind of odd. We're not used to playing shows that way, with a bunch of people sitting down. But I mean, the stages are huge, and it's fun, as opposed to playing out in the parking lot, I guess.

Loudside.com: Now in regards to Family Values, the overall line up is somewhat varied. In spite of that, do you feel that you guys still stand out the most in terms of sound and style, compared to the rest of the line up?

Corey: Yeah, definitely. Alot of the other bands are more radio friendly stuff. Where we're more just kind of straight up metal, but I think it still works within the line up, cause it's still a pretty hard edge tour. And definitely the way we play, versus the other bands on the bill, we definitely stand out as the more aggressive band on the tour. If we did something like Ozzfest, all the bands are kinda all in that kind of style.....the heavier metal side. So on this one ya know, we definitely stand out compared to the radio friendly, more mellow bands. So it's definitely kinda cool when we go out there and scare all the kids who've never heard a band like us. (laughing)

Loudside.com: (laughing) You mean all the kids that are here for Evanescence?

Corey: Yeah.

Loudside.com: Ok. Now similarly, I know that you guys have toured with a multitude of high profile bands. But for this tour specifically, what band were you most stoked about touring with, or being able to watch on a daily basis, if any?

Corey: Ummm, I don't know. I just thought that....well, Korn's a big band, and the tour, I heard alot of good things about the attendance and stuff. Just was a good tour to do, and we were just stoked about doing it and getting out in front of a different crowd. And I know the other guys were excited to see Korn and stuff, because they've been listening to Korn for a long time. I never really listened to them a whole lot. But yeah, it was a cool thing to do. And then meeting and hanging out with the guys from Atreyu has been alot of fun, and their new album's really really good. So we're coming off this tour having made some new friends with Atreyu. So that's cool. Plus there's the side stage bands that I've never heard of, so you get to meet a whole variety of different people. (laughing)

Loudside.com: For sure. Now with the bulk of the U.S. summer festival tours, most bands tend to have quite a bit of down time. Does that apply to you guys on this tour, and if so, have you guys worked on any new material?

Corey: Well, after this tour, we're going home, and we're gonna be there for at least six weeks or so. And we're going into the studio for a couple of weeks just to do some demos and work on some new stuff, which will be fun. So that will take up most of our downtime, just to get a head start on working on the next album. And then after we do that, we're heading to Japan and Australia, and we also do another run of the UK and Europe, and that will kinda wrap up the tour cycle for this album. Then we'll be working on a new record for most of next year.

Loudside.com: So you guys haven't written anything while on tour at all?

Corey: Oh we've written some stuff. All the stuff we're going to work on when we get home, is pretty much all the stuff we've been working on on tour and whenever we've had time. So we've got plenty of stuff that we're just going in to fine tune and just put together. It's just in the early stages of guitar riffs and working on vocal stuff. We haven't actually had time to actually put a whole song together, so we've got some work to do.

Loudside.com: Right on. Now in regards to your most recent release, 'The Crusade', there were alot of comparisons to the likes of bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, because of the lack of extreme, or screamed vocals. In light of that, will you guys be re-incorporating a more varied vocal approach into the next release?

Corey: It's......I know Matt's been working on some vocal stuff. It's definitely, at this point, it's definitely gonna have more dynamics. There's gonna be the vocal styling from the last record, but there's also gonna be a little more screaming in certain parts. Not a whole lot of it, but just kind of going back and forth, and kind of using all the different singing styles to create dynamics and to help portray the feelings in the lyrics and stuff. So it's gonna be kind of blending all the stuff we do, and also Matt....from all the touring and stuff, his vocal range has increased alot, and he can definitely do alot more new things. So there will definitely be alot of cool stuff. Vocally there's gonna be alot more going on as far as switching stuff up, but we'll have to see once we start recording how it ends up turning out, and how it works with the material. But I know we're definitely gonna try to incorporate alot more stuff into the new record, instead of just doing one thing the whole time. We're gonna try to add some shit in. But we'll see how it works once we start recording. (laughing)

Loudside.com: (laughing) Cool. Now, onto production.....You guys have worked with Jason Suecof on all three releases. Is there a chance down the road that Trivium may end up working with someone else, or even potentially self producing?

Corey: Oh yeah, next album. Yeah, we're looking to.....well, we haven't really found, or rather, confirmed who we're working with. But we definitely have some ideas of who we want to work with, and hopefully it happens. So we're definitely gonna be working with a new producer. We got a whole new recording team for this next one.

Loudside.com: And is that just to hopefully give the next album a different feel?

Corey: It's just about broadening our horizons I guess. Just try something new and get a different vibe. Cause when you work with the same person, then change it up and work with new people, it makes things exciting, ya know. Plus the kind of sound we wanna go for on the next album, we're just looking around for someone that might fit that kind of vibe. So we'll see what happens ya know. We're not working on it for a while, so we'll find out who we get. Who wants to work on it.

Loudside.com: Now you guys have been touring consistently since 'The Crusade' dropped, and it looks like you guys will be busy all through the rest of this year as well. So when do you guys plan to really sit down and focus on writing the new record?

Corey: Well, we're trying to get as much time as we can, so we're doing the demos in September. So we'll put a bunch of songs together and record 'em. And then we got a couple months on tour where we can sit with them, and see if we wanna change anything, or what we like. So instead of playing it, we'll be able to just listen. So we're gonna be doing that, and then after we get done touring, in January, we're going in. We're gonna work on those songs if we need to, and we also got a bunch of other songs we're gonna start working on. So we're pretty much just gonna be writing, recording, and putting the next record together for about the first half of next year. Just taking our time with it, and hopefully if all goes well, it might come out around late August, or early September of next year. But yeah, next year we're definitely gonna focus on just making the best record we can, and it's really gonna be a lot of fun to work with new people. And then just having alot of time to be able to experiment with stuff, and change stuff. Because with the other two records we had like six weeks to record the record. And now we have like six months to be able to really dig into it, instead of just doing it one way and recording it. We get to change stuff up and flip stuff around......

Loudside.com: Pick it apart and put it back together?

Corey: Yeah! Just do different versions of the same song, and just see how things work out. At least we get to try everything, and what ends up on the record will be what we feel is the best. So it's gonna be alot of fun to actually have that much time to work on the record, and dig into it and fuck with it.

Loudside.com: Right on! Now with your set list, you guys already have enough material to vary the list from day to day. So for this tour, does it stay exactly the same, or do you guys kinda change it up a little bit?

Corey: When we first started the tour, we were kinda trying to figure out what would be the best fit, that would win over a new audience but also represent the band. So at the beginning of the tour we were rotating a bunch of different songs, trying new ones to see what worked, and how this or that went over. So we did that for a while, then we finally kind of found the set that basically goes over the best, and the songs that really work for this kind of audience. So the second half of this tour we've pretty much been doing the same set the whole time. But we did flip them around alot in the beginning. Usually when we do a tour we always stick to the same set, just because playing it every night you get it down really tight. So we'll usually do that, and every once in a while, we'll rotate something in or whatever. But usually it stays the same throughout any given tour, especially when we're headlining because we play so many songs. With this tour, since we play a shorter set, we could rotate if we wanted to, but once you get in  a groove of playing one set, I think it goes over better, because you're really on point.

Loudside.com: And how long of a set do you guys get for this specific tour?

Corey: We play Thirty minutes on this one. So about six songs I guess is what we play.

Loudside.com: Well thirty is better than twenty.

Corey: Yeah.

Loudside.com: Ok, so how does it feel to look back on everything, going from being relatively unknown, to getting signed and opening up for Machine Head on the Roadrunner RoadRage tour a few years back, to having an upcoming co-headliner with them?

Corey: Oh it's really cool. I mean, just starting off, we worked our asses off, just kept pushing. We've been touring alot so that definitely has something to do with it. We wouldn't be where we are if we just kinda sat around at home and toured sparingly. We just really worked for it, and really wanted it. And just wanted to just get bigger and bigger, so we're really just road doggin it and haul ass, and just trying to get out to as many different people as we can. So it's really cool, especially because Machine Head are really good friends of ours, and ever since we first toured with them, they always were super cool to us, and always treated us with respect and stuff. So it's really cool and really fun to go on tour with them. And just getting together overseas and stuff to tour because we both have really big followings over there, bringing it together just benefits both bands to play shows that big. And also the buzz and hype that something like that brings, definitely brings attention to both bands as well as the other bands on that bill. So I definitely think it's a good thing for the metal scene. Instead of competing and bitching about other bands, to just come together and team up and just kick everyone in the face. So instead of trying to compete against eachother, if you just work together instead it benefits everybody. So this is gonna be a really fun tour, and they're a great live band and really cool people, and it's gonna be alot of fun to go on tour with them again. I think this will be the third time. We've only played with them in the States, so it's gonna be really cool to go overseas and do that, and also to go to Australia and Japan with them. This will be like the first band that we've toured every continent with (laughing). So it's gonna be alot of fun!

Loudside.com: Now as far as co-headliners go, I know that some bands recently have been doing it kind of different, where it's called a co-headliner, but the same band closes the show every night. Is this going to be an actual co-headliner where you guys will switch off every other night?

Corey: Umm, I think they wanted to flip flop. But because of the fact that they've been around longer, and we have alot of respect for them, we wanted them to close every night. I mean both bands will still play the same set time, so we get the same amount of time as they do. But we just told them they should just play after us. It's a respect thing, and they've been around alot longer, so we felt that it would be best for them to close each show. But we still get to do whatever we want, so even though we're not closing, we're still doing the exact same set and production as we would if we were closing. But we're just doing it right before them. And it's gonna be alot of fun, because everytime we're in the U.K. we always play last, cause we're always doing headlining tours. So it's gonna be fun to not have to play until like 11pm at night. We actually get to get done playing and actually get to hang out and stuff. So it's gonna be a really cool thing to do. I think the Maiden tour is the only tour so far where we didn't close the show, so it's gonna be really fun. And then we get to go out and watch Machine Head play, and mingle with people. Whereas usually by the time we're done playing, everyone's gone. So it's gonna be cool. Definitely looking forward to it. And we're playing indoors, so it's not gonna be a hundred degrees out, so that's definitely gonna be better. (laughing)

Loudside.com: (laughing) Good deal. Now I've done a little bit of research regarding my next question, because I can't recall having read anything specifically about it up to now, and it's possibly because no one has wanted to really touch on the subject, I don't know for sure. Anyhow, with songs like 'Declaration', as well as 'Ignition', and specifically 'And Sadness Will Sear', there seems to be alot of support for a different sexual orientation, some might call it 'pro-gay' lyrical content. Now with the vast majority of bands being completely unwilling to touch that subject, and with the metal culture as a whole not being the most accepting of that, what made you guys decide to bring that subject to the fore?

Corey: I don't think it's totally about that. It's more about alot of stuff. The lyrics are about just accepting of everything. I mean, the songs mention race, and sexuality and stuff like that, it's just all about accepting people for who they are, and not being discrimanant against this or that. Because if you're one way you don't want someone coming up to you and giving you shit for something that you believe in and stuff like that. So it's more just about accepting everyone's choices and how they wanna be and stuff, instead of ya know, if they're gay you can't be nice to somebody or talk to somebody because that's the only thing you think about. With 'And Sadness Will Sear', that's just bringing up a story about how someone's ignorant about something, and they beat and killed somebody just because of their sexual orientation. And that person wasn't even harming or bothering anybody with it. So, Matt always writes the stuff about being accepting and not I guess having hatred or anything against any certain type of persons or their choices and stuff like that. And yeah, it is most definitely a message that most bands don't touch upon because Metal's supposed to be all Bad Ass, ya know. I'm tougher than you, and my dick's bigger than yours, ya know. That whole bullshit drama of bands trying to be cooler, or pulling the 'Metal Upgrade' on people ya know. That kind of crap, trying to be the tough guy kind of bullshit. So it's definitely different than what most bands talk about, because most other metal bands are pretty ignorant themselves as far as them being close minded and all that kind of crap. So we just try to do something different, and it's definitely from meeting fans and having that open kind of lyrical content that not just tries to tell you something, but it's open to interpretation too, so that people can draw their own meanings from it. And alot of fans have come up and said that the lyrics or the music has helped them get through stuff. So if we we're talking about, ya know, 'I'm gonna kill you' or 'Down with the fucking government' and crap, the average fourteen year old kid's not gonna really relate to that or 'Satan 666' or whatever kind of crap. So it's about having lyrics that someone can actually get something out of. it definitely makes it easier for some young kid to get into and to be able to have some kind of connection, ya know.

Loudside.com: Right on. Now you just mentioned something about this, so I figure you probably already read it.....

Corey: (Laughin) I think I know where this one's going......

Loudside.com: (laughing) In regards to the online posting from florida death thrashers The Absence.....

Corey: We actually just read that about five minutes ago...

Loudside.com: And how do you guys feel about that?

Corey: (asking Paolo) Umm, How do we wanna approach this one?

Paolo: I had a friend call me up and was like 'Did you see this thing on Blabbermouth?' and I was like 'Nah, nah, nah, what is it?' And so he told me and I was just like 'Wow!' It's hilarious! Umm, if you wanna get a Trivium shirt to trade in, we have an official Trivium merch site online. You can buy a Trivium shirt, and then go get your free shirt man. That's funny man! (laughing)

Corey: The funny thing is, never met the band before, never heard them before, and the only kind of connection is that they're from the same state as us, and for some reason they picked us. I mean, maybe they really wanted a Trivium shirt and they can't afford it. Cause we have some pretty sweet shirts, so maybe that's why they're trying to swap shirts at shows, cause our shirts are pretty nice. That's the only thing I can think of. Or maybe they want one, and they just can't find one, so they're trying to trade their stuff in for it.

Paolo: All they had to do was ask man, we'll send them one. (laughing) 

Corey: Yeah, if you need a shirt, we'll send you one...........